Involvement in Prisoner Abuse
England held the rank of Specialist while serving in Iraq. Along with other soldiers, she was found guilty of inflicting sexual, physical and psychological abuse on Iraqi prisoners of war.
England faced a general court-martial in September 2005 on charges of conspiracy to maltreat prisoners and assault consummated by battery. Even before England was formally charged, she was transferred to the U.S. military installation at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on March 18, 2004, because of her pregnancy. On April 30, 2005, England agreed to plea guilty to abuse charges. Her plea bargain would have reduced her maximum sentence from 16 years to 11 years had it been accepted by the military judge. She would have pleaded guilty to four counts of maltreating prisoners, two counts of conspiracy, and one count of dereliction of duty. In exchange, prosecutors would have dropped two other charges, committing indecent acts and failure to obey a lawful order.
At her trial in May 2005, Colonel James Pohl declared a mistrial on the grounds that he could not accept her plea of guilty under a plea-bargain to a charge of conspiring with Spc. Charles Graner Jr. to maltreat detainees after Graner testified that he believed that, in placing a tether around the naked detainee's neck and asking England to pose for a photograph with him, he was documenting a legitimate use of force.
At her retrial, England was convicted on September 26, 2005, of one count of conspiracy, four counts of maltreating detainees and one count of committing an indecent act. She was acquitted on a second conspiracy count. Along with a dishonorable discharge, England received a three-year prison sentence on September 27. The prosecution had asked the jury of five Army officers to imprison England for four to six years. Her defense lawyers asked for a non-custodial sentence.
While incarcerated at Naval Consolidated Brig, Miramar, she worked in the kitchen. She was paroled on March 1, 2007, after having served 521 days. She remained on parole through September 2008, when her three-year sentence was complete and she received a dishonorable discharge.
Graner, the ringleader of the abuse, was convicted on all charges and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Four guards and two low-level military intelligence officers made plea deals in the case. Their sentences ranged from no time to 8½ years. No officers have gone to trial, though several received administrative punishment.
After serving her sentence, England returned to Fort Ashby, West Virginia and stayed with friends and family.
Read more about this topic: Lynndie England
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